The next prescription drug takeback day is set for Saturday, April 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During that window, residents will have an opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Bring any pills for disposal to Fountain Hills Town Hall, located at 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains. Liquids, needles or sharps are not allowed to be turned in, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked. For those dropping off pills, the preferred method is for participants to pour their pills into a Ziploc bag and head to the drop-off point.

According to organizers, this initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in Arizona are notably high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs.

Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Arizonans are advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines – flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash – pose potential safety and health hazards.

For more information about preventing prescription drug abuse, go to fhcoalition.org. For those unable to make it to the official event, a permanent drop-off box for prescription drugs is located near the MCSO office within the Fountain Hills Town Hall and can be accessed year-round during normal business hours.

During the March 4 Fountain Hills Coalition meeting, MCSO Captain Larry Kratzer reported that 165.2 pounds of prescription drugs were delivered to the permanent drop box over the past three months.

“That’s really great,” Kratzer said. “That’s a big number. We constantly see people coming in and dropping things off, so it’s getting lots of use.”